Wearable article having artwork

ABSTRACT

A wearable article comprising: a main body comprising an outer cover layer and a backsheet attached to the skin-facing surface of the outer cover layer; and a ring-like elastic belt comprising a front belt and a back belt; the backsheet comprising a printed main artwork observable from the garment-facing side of the article. The main artwork exists in the vicinity of the proximal edge of the central panel of at least one of the front and back belts, extends from at least one of the front and back central panels into the crotch panel; and comprises a belt area artwork displayed on the central panel and a crotch area artwork displayed on the crotch panel. The relationship of the opacity of the outer cover layer to the opacity of the central panel overlayed on the garment facing side of the backsheet is defined herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wearable articles having artworks onboth the elastic belt and main body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Infants and other incontinent individuals wear absorbent articles suchas diapers to receive and contain urine and other body exudates. Pull-onabsorbent articles, or pant-type absorbent articles, are those which aredonned by inserting the wearer's legs into the leg openings and slidingthe article up into position about the lower torso. Pant-type absorbentarticles have become popular for use on children who are able to walkand often who are toilet training, as well as for younger children whobecome more active in movement such that application of taped-typeabsorbent articles tends to be more difficult. Absorbent articles areprovided with printed artwork to make the article attractive to thewearer and/or the caregiver. Particularly for children, attractiveartwork on the article may provide a positive developmental effect.Attractive artwork may be those that connote an undergarment look, arein clear color and shape, or showing characters and objects innoticeable size. Further, attractive artwork may connote high quality toeither the wearer or caregiver.

Pant-type absorbent articles having a main body to cover the crotchregion of the wearer and a separate elastic belt defining the waistopening and leg opening are known in the art, such as described in PCTPublication WO 2006/17718A. Such pant-type absorbent articles may bereferred to as belt-type pants. On the other hand, certain pant-typeabsorbent articles are configured such that the outer cover of theabsorbent body completely covers the entirety of the garment-facingsurface of the article. Such pant-type absorbent articles may bereferred to as uni-body pants. Belt-type pants, compared to uni-bodypants, may be advantageous in that they may have better breathability byhaving less layers of material in certain areas of the articles, andthat they may be manufactured economically. On the other hand, due tothe structural difference between the main body and elastic belt,belt-type pants may be disadvantageous in providing printed artwork thatprovides an integral appearance.

Based on the foregoing, there is a need for a wearable article withattractive artwork. There is also a need for providing such a wearablearticle without compromise to the performance as an absorbent article,such as fit, wearability, comfort during wear, prevention of sagging,and prevention of leakage. There is further a need for providing such awearable article in an economical manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a wearable article continuous in alongitudinal direction and a transverse direction comprising; a mainbody comprising an outer cover layer at the most garment-facing side anda backsheet attached to the skin-facing surface of the outer coverlayer; and a ring-like elastic belt comprising a front belt and a backbelt;

the center of the front belt is joined to a front waist panel of themain body, the center of the back belt is joined to a back waist panelof the main body, the front and back belt each having a left side paneland a right side panel where the main body does not overlap, and thetransverse edges of the front belt and the back belt are joined by aseam to form a waist opening and two leg openings, the main body havinga crotch panel which is not joined to either the front belt or the backbelt;

each front belt and back belt having transversely continuous proximaland distal edges, the proximal edge being located closer than the distaledge relative to the longitudinal center of the article, each of thefront belt and back belt each comprise an inner sheet and an outersheet, wherein the backsheet comprises printing for providing;

a main artwork observable from the garment-facing side of the article,the main artwork existing in the vicinity of the proximal edge of thecentral panel of at least one of the front and back belts, the mainartwork extending from at least one of the front and back central panelsinto the crotch panel;

the main artwork comprising a belt area artwork displayed on the centralpanel and a crotch area artwork displayed on the crotch panel;

wherein when the opacity of the outer cover layer is L1; opacity of allof the materials in the central panel overlayed on the garment facingside of the backsheet is L3; and L3−L1=Lg; Lg is less than 28%.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as formingthe present invention, it is believed that the invention will be betterunderstood from the following description which is taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings and which like designations are used todesignate substantially identical elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a wearable article ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of one embodiment of a wearable articleof the present invention with the seams unjoined and in a flatuncontracted condition showing the garment facing surface.

FIG. 3 is a cross section view of FIG. 2 taken along the longitudinalcenter line in the front region.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a wearable article ofthe present invention.

DEFINITIONS

As used herein, the following terms shall have the meaning specifiedthereafter:

“Wearable article” refers to articles of wear which may be in the formof pants, taped diapers, incontinent briefs, feminine hygiene garments,and the like. The “wearable article” may be so configured to also absorband contain various exudates such as urine, feces, and menses dischargedfrom the body. The “wearable article” may serve as an outer coveradaptable to be joined with a separable disposable absorbent insert forproviding absorbent and containment function, such as those disclosed inPCT publication WO 2011/087503A.

“Pant” refers to disposable absorbent articles having a pre-formed waistand leg openings. A pant may be donned by inserting a wearer's legs intothe leg openings and sliding the pant into position about the wearer'slower torso. Pants are also commonly referred to as “closed diapers”,“prefastened diapers”, “pull-on diapers”, “training pants” and“diaper-pants”.

“Longitudinal” refers to a direction running substantially perpendicularfrom a waist edge to an opposing waist edge of the article and generallyparallel to the maximum linear dimension of the article.

“Transverse” refers to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinaldirection.

“Body-facing” and “garment-facing” refer respectively to the relativelocation of an element or a surface of an element or group of elements.“Body-facing” implies the element or surface is nearer to the wearerduring wear than some other element or surface. “Garment-facing”impliesthe element or surface is more remote from the wearer during wear thansome other element or surface (i.e., element or surface is proximate tothe wearer's garments that may be worn over the disposable absorbentarticle).

“Disposed” refers to an element being located in a particular place orposition.

“Joined” refers to configurations whereby an element is directly securedto another element by affixing the element directly to the other elementand to configurations whereby an element is indirectly secured toanother element by affixing the element to intermediate member(s) whichin turn are affixed to the other element.

“Film” refers to a sheet-like material wherein the length and width ofthe material far exceed the thickness of the material. Typically, filmshave a thickness of about 0.5 mm or less.

“Water-permeable” and “water-impermeable” refer to the penetrability ofmaterials in the context of the intended usage of disposable absorbentarticles. Specifically, the term “water-permeable” refers to a layer ora layered structure having pores, openings, and/or interconnected voidspaces that permit liquid water, urine, or synthetic urine to passthrough its thickness in the absence of a forcing pressure. Conversely,the term “water-impermeable” refers to a layer or a layered structurethrough the thickness of which liquid water, urine, or synthetic urinecannot pass in the absence of a forcing pressure (aside from naturalforces such as gravity). A layer or a layered structure that iswater-impermeable according to this definition may be permeable to watervapor, i.e., may be “vapor-permeable”.

“Extendibility” and “extensible” mean that the width or length of thecomponent in a relaxed state can be extended or increased.

“Elasticated” and “elasticized” mean that a component comprises at leasta portion made of elastic material.

“Elongatable material”, “extensible material”, or “stretchable material”are used interchangeably and refer to a material that, upon applicationof a biasing force, can stretch to an elongated length of at least about110% of its relaxed, original length (i.e. can stretch to 10 percentmore than its original length), without rupture or breakage, and uponrelease of the applied force, shows little recovery, less than about 20%of its elongation without complete rupture or breakage as measured byEDANA method 20.2-89. In the event such an elongatable material recoversat least 40% of its elongation upon release of the applied force, theelongatable material will be considered to be “elastic” or“elastomeric.” For example, an elastic material that has an initiallength of 100 mm can extend at least to 150 mm, and upon removal of theforce retracts to a length of at least 130 mm (i.e., exhibiting a 40%recovery). In the event the material recovers less than 40% of itselongation upon release of the applied force, the elongatable materialwill be considered to be “substantially non-elastic” or “substantiallynon-elastomeric”. For example, an elongatable material that has aninitial length of 100 mm can extend at least to 150 mm, and upon removalof the force retracts to a length of at least 145 mm (i.e., exhibiting a10% recovery).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the wearable article 20of the present invention and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the samearticle with the seams unjoined and in its flat uncontracted conditionshowing the garment-facing surface. The wearable article 20 has alongitudinal centerline L1 which also serves as the longitudinal axis,and a transverse centerline T1 which also serves as the transverse axis.The wearable article 20 has a skin-facing surface, a garment-facingsurface, a front region 26, a back region 28, a crotch region 30, andseams 32 which join the front region 26 and the back region 28 to formtwo leg openings and a waist opening. The wearable article 20 comprisesa main body 38 to cover the crotch region of the wearer, a front belt 84and a back belt 86 (hereinafter may be referred to as “front and backbelts”), the front and back belts 84, 86 forming a ring-like elasticbelt 40 (hereinafter may be referred to as “waist belt”) extendingtransversely defining the waist opening. The front and back belts 84, 86and the main body 38 jointly define the leg openings.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the main body 38 comprises a water impermeablebacksheet 60 and outer cover layer 42 for covering the garment-facingside of the backsheet 60. The outer cover layer 42 may be a nonwovensheet. The main body 38 may contain an absorbent core 62 for absorbingand containing body exudates disposed on the main body 38. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 2, the main body 38 has a generally rectangularshape, left and right longitudinally extending side edges 48(hereinafter may be referred to as “side edge”) and front and backtransversely extending end edges 50 (hereinafter may be referred to as“end edge”). The main body 38 also has a front waist panel 52 positionedin the front region 26 of the wearable article 20, a back waist panel 54positioned in the back region 28, and a crotch panel 56 between thefront and back waist panels 52, 54 in the crotch region 30. The centerof the front belt 84 is joined to a front waist panel 52 of the mainbody 38, the center of the back belt 86 is joined to a back waist panel54 of the main body 38, the front and back belts 84, 86 each having aleft side panel and a right side panel 82 where the main body 38 doesnot overlap. The main body has a crotch panel 56 which is not joined toeither the front belt 84 or the back belt 86.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the ring-like belt 40 formed by the frontbelt 84 and back belt 86 acts to dynamically create fitment forces andto distribute the forces dynamically generated during wear. Herein, theterm “proximal” is used to indicate the position of a “proximal” portionbeing closer relative to the longitudinal center of the article, alsocloser relative to the crotch panel 56 of the main body 38 than theposition of a “distal” portion. Therefore, the proximal edge 90 islocated closer than the distal edge 88 relative to the crotch panel 56of the main body 38. The front and back belts 84, 86 may be joined witheach other only at the side edges 89 at the seams 32 to form a wearablearticle having a waist opening and two leg openings. Each leg openingmay be provided with elasticity around the perimeter of the leg openingby the combination of elasticity from the front belt 84, the back belt86, and any from the main body 38. The front leg opening region 120 isdisposed adjacent the leg opening along the proximal edge 90 of the leftand right side panels 82 of the front belt 84.

The front and back belts 84, 86 are discontinuous with one another inthe crotch region 30. In such embodiment, there is no material thatcovers the entirety of either the wearer-facing surface orgarment-facing surface of the article. The front central panel 80 maypartly overlap with the front waist panel 52 of the main body 38. Theback central panel 80 may partly overlap with the back waist panel 54 ofthe main body 38. However, the central panels 80 may not extend into thecrotch panel 56 of the main body 38 and not be disposed in the crotchpanel 56. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the central panels 80partly overlap with and is joined to the front waist panel 52 and theback waist panel 54, respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the front belt 84 and back belt 86 may eachcomprise an inner sheet 94, an outer sheet 92, (hereinafter alsocollectively “belt sheets”) and configured to impart elasticity to thebelt 40. Each of the front and back belts 84, 86 may be made of a singleelastic panel, a plurality of elastic panels, or as a laminate having aplurality of belt elastic bodies 96 sandwiched between the inner andouter sheets 94, 92. In one embodiment, the belt elastic bodies 96extend in the transverse direction to provide a ring like elastic belt40 when the front belt 84 and the back belt 86 are joined. In oneembodiment, at least some of the elastic bodies 96 extend in thetransverse direction substantially parallel to each other. In oneembodiment, all of the elastic bodies 96 extend in the transversedirection substantially parallel to each other. Such an article may beeconomically made.

In one embodiment, the transverse width LW of the back belt 86 in theuncontracted condition may be the same as the transverse width of thefront belt 84 of the same condition. Such an article may be economicallymade.

In one embodiment, the longitudinal length LB of the back belt 86between the back distal edge 88 and the back proximal edge 90 along itsentire width LW of the back belt 86 may be approximately the same as thelongitudinal length LF of the front belt 84 between the front distaledge 88 and the front proximal edge 90. In such embodiment, the seams 32close the front and back belt 84, 86 side edges 89 of the same lengthfor forming the article. Such an article may be economically made.

In one embodiment, the back belt 86 may have a greater longitudinallength LB between the back distal edge 88 and the back proximal edge 90along its entire width LW of the back belt 86 in the transversedirection than the longitudinal length LF of the front belt 84 betweenthe front distal edge 88 and the front proximal edge 90 (FIGS. 1 and 2).In such embodiment, when the wearable article is assembled to form thewaist opening and the leg openings, the wearable article 20 is foldedalong the transverse centerline T1 such that the front distal edge 88 isaligned with the back distal edge 88. The front side edge 89 is alsoaligned with a portion of the back side edge 89. Then the front belt 84and the back belt 86 are joined at the front and back side edges 89 atthe seams 32. The front and back proximal edges 90, however, may not bealigned to one another. The back proximal edge 90 may be disposedlongitudinally closer than the front proximal edge 90 relative to thetransverse center line T1 such that the proximal portion of the backside panel 82 extends toward the crotch panel 56 of the main body 38beyond the front proximal edge 90. The side edge of the proximal portionof the back side panel 82 may not be joined to anywhere and free fromattachment. Thus, the proximal portion of the back side panel 82provides a buttock cover 95 as in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the outer sheet 92 of the frontor back belt towards the distal edge 88 may be longer than the size ofthe inner sheet 94 in the longitudinal direction, and an end flap of theouter sheet 92 may be folded over the distal end of the inner sheet 94at the waist opening to form the waist end region. The front and backbelts 84, 86 may be provided in low caliper non-woven material for sakeof breathability and softness of the belt 40.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the wearable article 20 of the presentinvention comprises a main artwork 150 observable from thegarment-facing side of the article. The main artwork 150 exists in thevicinity of the proximal edge 90 of the central panel 80 of at least oneof the front and back belts 84, 86, the main artwork 150 extending fromat least one of the front and back central panels 80 into the crotchpanel 56. The main artwork 150 may be displayed on the most easilyobserved area of the wearable article 20 from at least one of the frontor back side of the article when the article is laid flat on a surface,and/or when the article is worn. At least one of the front and backcentral panels 80 of the front and back belts 84, 86 comprise a beltarea artwork 154 observable from the garment-facing side of the article.The crotch panel 56 of the main body 38 comprises a crotch area artwork152 observable from the garment-facing side of the article. The mainartwork 150 may be made of a belt area artwork 154 and a crotch areaartwork 152 that are separable graphical elements disposed in thevicinity of each other. In such embodiment, the belt area artwork 154and the crotch area artwork 152 may have some relationship with eachother including, but not limited to, similar objects, similar color,objects changing in time line, etc. The main artwork 150 may be acombined artwork or graphical element comprising a portion of belt areaartwork 154 and a portion of crotch area artwork 152 overlapping theproximal edge 90 of the front or back belt. The belt area artwork 154and crotch area artwork 152 displayed in the vicinity of each other, oroverlapping the proximal edge 90, are collectively defined as the mainartwork 150. The article may have one or both of a front main artwork150 and a back main artwork 150. In one embodiment, there may bedisplayed both front and back main artworks 150 observable from thegarment-facing side of the article.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the artwork as described above are providedas a printing on the garment facing side of the backsheet 60 of the mainbody 38. The backsheet 60 is made of water impermeable material such asa plastic film. The main artwork 150 is therefore observed throughdifferent number of layers of material depending on where the artwork isdisplayed. The crotch area artwork 152 is observed through at least theouter cover layer 42. The belt area artwork 154 is observed through atleast the combination of the outer cover layer 42, and the inner andouter sheets 92, 94 of the belt 40. Due to the difference in number oflayers of sheets disposed between the printed surface of the backsheet60 and the garment facing surface of the article, the crotch areaartwork 152 and the belt area artwork 154 may have different visibilityin opacity. When the difference in opacity is great, there is a gap inappearance observed between the crotch area artwork 152 and belt areaartwork 154, and visual integrity of the main artwork 150 iscompromised. The giraffe depicted in FIG. 4 is an example of a mainartwork 150 which comprises a crotch area artwork 152 and a belt areaartwork 154 which overlaps the proximal edge 90. When a gap inappearance is observed for such a main artwork 150 which overlaps theproximal edge 90, there is a risk that the main artwork 150 may appearas split between the crotch area artwork 152 and belt area artwork 154.Such a split appearance of the main artwork 150 may not be attractive,or may connote low quality.

In the present invention, for preventing the appearance gap as describedabove and enhancing the visual integrity of the main artwork 150, theopacity of the outer cover layer 42 of the main body, the outer sheet 92of the belt, and the inner sheet 94 of the belt may be arranged. Theopacity of a sheet material is measured according to the “Measurement ofOpacity” described below. The article of the present invention has an Lgof less than 28%, or less than 25%, or less than 22%, when Lg is definedas such:

L3−L1=Lg

L1: opacity of the outer cover layer 42

L2: opacity of the outer sheet 92 and inner sheet 94 combined

L3: opacity of all of the materials in the central panel 80 overlayed onthe garment facing side of the backsheet 60

Namely, L3 is the opacity of at least the outer cover layer 42, outersheet 92 and inner sheet 94 combined, and any other material that may beused in the central panel 80 overlayed on the garment facing side of thebacksheet 60. In one embodiment, there is no other material overlayed onthe garment facing side of the backsheet 60 other than the outer coverlayer 42, outer sheet 92 and inner sheet 94. In such embodiment, L3 isthe opacity of the outer cover layer 42, outer sheet 92 and inner sheet94 combined.

When Lg is higher than 28%, the appearance gap between the crotch areaartwork 152 and belt area artwork 154 may be noticeable. The lower theLg, the less noticeable is the difference in appearance of the crotcharea artwork 152 and belt area artwork 154. So long as this relationshipis met, any material may be used for the outer cover layer 42, outersheet 92 and inner sheet 94.

Examples of materials suitable for the outer sheet 92 and inner sheet 94include nonwoven material of 5-50 g/m². Nonwoven polyolefins such aspolypropylene may be suitable for use. The opacity of the outer sheet 92and inner sheet 94 combined (L2) may be 20-60%.

Examples of materials suitable for the outer cover layer 42 includenonwoven material of 5-50 g/m². Patterned, quilted, or embossed materialmay be useful for connoting softness or high quality of the article. Theopacity of the outer cover layer 42 (L1) may be 30-60% or 40-60%.

In one embodiment, the opacity of the outer cover layer 42 (L1) ishigher than the opacity of the outer sheet 92 and inner sheet 94combined (L2). Without being bound by theory, for making L3 as low aspossible in order to lower the Lg, one may intuitively desire to makethe opacity of the outer sheet 92 and inner sheet 94 combined (L2) aslow as possible. The inventors have unexpectedly discovered, however,that counterintuitively, making the opacity of the outer cover layer 42(L1) higher contributes more in lowering the Lg. Namely, a relativelyhigh opacity of the outer cover layer 42 (L1) mitigates the influence ofthe opacity of the outer sheet 92 and inner sheet 94 combined (L2), andthus L3 results less deviating from the opacity of the outer cover layer(L1), compared to the configuration wherein an outer cover layer 42having low opacity is used.

The outer cover layer 42 may be provided opaque by adding awhite-tinting/opacifying agent to the polymer resin that is spun to makethe nonwoven material. While a variety of whitening/opacifying agentsmay suffice, it is believed that titanium dioxide (TiO₂) may beparticularly effective because of its brightness and relatively highrefractive index. It is believed that addition of TiO₂ to the polymer(s)from which the fibers are to be formed, typically in an amount up to5.0% by weight of the nonwoven, may be effective to achieve the desiredresults. It is believed that the increased opacity provided bywhitening/opacifying agents helps to produce a visually distinctive,soft appearance of the nonwoven. It also may be desired in someapplications that a coloring or tinting agent be added to one or morethe polymer resin(s) from which the nonwoven fibers will be spun.

Opacity can also be enhanced by using fiber having cross-sectionalshapes other than round and solid (non-hollow) geometries, namelytrilobal or multilobal cross-sections, or hollow configurations orcombinations thereof. Those non-circular cross-sectional shapes can alsoprovide advantages in terms of loft and compression resilience.

Spunbonding includes the step of calender-bonding a batt of spunlaidfibers, to consolidate them and bond them together to some extent tocreate the web as a fabric-like structure and enhance mechanicalproperties e.g., tensile strength, which may be desirable so thematerial can sufficiently maintain structural integrity and dimensionalstability in subsequent manufacturing processes, and in the finalproduct in use. Calender-bonding may be accomplished by passing the battthrough the nip between a pair of rotating calender rollers, therebycompressing and consolidating the fibers to form a nonwoven web. One orboth of the rollers may be heated, so as to promote heating, plasticdeformation, intermeshing and/or thermal bonding/fusion betweensuperimposed fibers compressed at the nip. The rollers may form operablecomponents of a bonding mechanism in which they are urged together by acontrollable amount of force, so as to exert the desired compressingforce/pressure at the nip. In some processes an ultrasonic energy sourcemay be included in the bonding mechanism so as to transmit ultrasonicvibration to the fibers, again, to generate heat energy within them andenhance bonding.

One or both of the rollers may have their circumferential surfacesmachined, etched, engraved or otherwise formed to have thereon a bondingpattern of bonding protrusions and recessed areas, so that bondingpressure exerted on the batt at the nip is concentrated at the bondingsurfaces of the bonding protrusions, and is reduced or substantiallyeliminated at the recessed areas. The bonding surfaces have bondingsurface shapes. As a result, an impressed pattern of bonds betweenfibers forming the web, having bond impressions and bond shapescorresponding to the pattern and bonding surface shapes of the bondingprotrusions on the roller, is formed on the nonwoven web. One roller mayhave a smooth, unpatterned cylindrical surface so as to constitute ananvil roller, and the other roller may be formed with a pattern asdescribed, to constitute a bonding pattern roller; this combination ofrollers will impart a pattern on the web reflecting the pattern on thebonding pattern roller. In some examples both rollers may be formed withpatterns, and in particular examples, differing patterns that work incombination to impress a combination pattern on the web such asdescribed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,764.

A repeating pattern of bonding protrusions and recessed areas such asS-shapes, diamond shapes, I-shapes, and V-shapes may be formed onto abonding roller. The bonding shapes of the bonding protrusions impresslike-shaped bond impressions on the web in the calendering process.Repeating patterns of S-shapes and I-shapes may be advantageous inproviding visual integrity with the gathers of the front and back belts84, 86.

The bonding protrusions on a roller will have a height, which may beexpressed as a difference between the radius of the roller at theoutermost (bonding) surfaces of the bonding protrusions, and the radiusof the roller at the recessed areas. The height may be adjusted with theobjective of minimizing the amount of material that must be removed fromthe roller surface by machining or etching to create the desired shapesand pattern, while still providing for sufficient clearance between theroller bearing the bonding protrusions and the opposing roller, at therecessed areas, to accommodate passage of the batt through the nip inareas of the batt not to be bonded (i.e., at the recessed areas),without substantially compressing it, because maximum loft/caliper isthe objective. For webs of the type and basis weight contemplatedherein, a bonding protrusion height between 0.3 mm and 1.0 mm may bedesired, or more preferably, a bonding protrusion height between 0.5 mmand 0.8 mm, or even a bonding protrusion height between 0.6 mm and 0.7mm. The bonding surfaces of the bonding protrusions may have an averagearea between 0.3 mm² and 10 mm². The bonding protrusions typically havesides with an angled slope when viewed in cross section through theheight thereof.

Nonwoven webs of the type contemplated herein may be calender-bonded atline speed greater than 300 m/min., or 600 m/min., or even 800 m/min.,or more, depending upon nonwoven web composition, basis weight, bondingpattern, and equipment and process variables selected. It will beappreciated that at such speeds, the batt and the surfaces of rollerswill entrain surrounding air and move it toward the nip. Surfacefeatures of a bonding roller as described above, will enhance thiseffect. It is believed that, as entrained air is carried toward the nip,the decreasing space between the rollers as the nip is approachedcreates a zone of relatively higher, and increasing, air pressure infront of the nip. A portion of the entrained air under such higherpressure will be urged into and further compressed in the nip, withinthe recessed areas of the bonding pattern on the roller, and within theinterstices of the fibers passing through the nip. It is believed that,as nonwoven web exits the nip, compressed air entrained within thefibers and passing through the nip therewith encounters a zone ofrelatively lower pressure on the exit side, and accelerates away fromthe nip in all unobstructed directions as a result. Thus, it is believedthat substantial air entrainment, air compression and complex air flowsof relatively high velocity occur within and about the batt and web as aresult of movement of the batt and rotation of the calender rollers inthe calender-bonding process.

It is believed that surface features of a bonding roller including thebonding protrusions affect these air flows. Particularly at the nip, theprofiles of bonding protrusions present obstructions to airflow, whilethe recessed areas between the bonding protrusions present passageways.Thus, it is believed that for certain configurations, shapes, andpositions of bonding protrusions, as will be reflected in the bondimpressions created in the web, rotational orientation(s) and repeatingpatterns of the bonding shapes can be selected and formed to have abeneficial effect on these air flows. It is believed, further, thatpatterns of bonding protrusions having bonding surface shapes withcertain features, reflected in the bonding surfaces and the crosssections of the protrusions along planes substantially parallel with thebonding surfaces, rotational orientations relative the planeapproximated by the web surface, and spacing, may be employed to channelthese air flows in a way that causes them to reposition the fibersduring the calender bonding process, such as by teasing or fluffing thefibers, thus providing an enhanced calender-bonded nonwoven web havinggreater loft/caliper than a similar nonwoven web having otherconsolidated bond shapes and patterns, all other variables being thesame. Other suitable materials for the outer cover layer 42 of thepresent invention are disclosed in PCT publication WO 2014/047160,herein incorporated by reference.

As mentioned above, and referring to FIG. 2, the belt 40 formed by thefront belt 84 and back belt 86 acts to dynamically create fitment forcesand to distribute the forces dynamically generated during wear. Suchforce may be provided by a plurality of elastic bodies 96 running in thetransverse direction. The front and/or back belt 84, 86 may be treatedsuch that certain of the area overlapping the front and/or back waistpanel of the main body 38 are removed of elasticity. Removal ofelasticity from the area where the belt area artwork 154 is displayedmay help the visibility of the belt area artwork 154, and enhance thevisual integrity of the main artwork 150. Further, removal of elasticityfrom certain area of the front and/or back waist panel may beadvantageous when the main body 38 comprises an absorbent core 62, inthat elasticity in the front and/or back area may cause bunching of theabsorbent core 62 and interfere with close fit of the main body 38 tothe wearer. In one embodiment, at least a portion of, or at least 10%of, or at least 20% of, or at least 30% of, the elasticity of; at leastone of, or at least half of, or at least two thirds of, the elasticbodies are removed in the region overlapping with the front and backwaist panels 52, 54 of the main body 38. In one embodiment, the area ofall of the elastics 96 overlapping with the belt area artwork 154 may beremoved of its elasticity.

The visual integrity of a main artwork 150 overlapping the crotch areaartwork 152 and belt area artwork 154 may be further enhanced byproviding the color of the belt area artwork 154 with higher colorbrightness than that of the crotch area artwork 152. The visualintegrity may also be enhanced by providing a gradation in colorbrightness or color intensity to the main artwork 150 in thelongitudinal direction.

The main artwork 150 may extend into the vicinity of the longitudinalcenter of the main body 38. The main artwork 150 may include, or may bearranged with, wetnesss indicators. The main artwork 150 may becoordinated with the shape or color of a disposable tape disposed on thegarment-facing side of the outer cover layer 42. The main artwork 150may extend along the longitudinal side edges of the main body 38. Any ofthe above mentioned portions of the main artwork 150 may be coordinatedwith one another for providing an integral appearance of the article.Any of the above mentioned portions of the main artwork 150 may includeindicia to describe size, gender, areas suitable for grabbing to wearthe article, and other information for use of the article.

The article of the present invention may further be provided with sideartwork 160 (not shown) provided on the side panel 82 of the belt 40, orwaist artwork 170 (not shown) provided adjacent the distal edge 88 ofthe belt 40.

Measurement of Opacity

The opacity of a material, or material combined, is the degree to whichlight is blocked by that material. A higher opacity value indicates ahigher degree of light block by the material. Opacity may be measuredusing a 0° illumination/45° detection, circumferential optical geometry,spectrophotometer with a computer interface such as the HunterLabLabScan XE running Universal Software (available from Hunter AssociatesLaboratory Inc., Reston, Va.). Instrument calibration and measurementsare made using the standard white and black calibration plates providedby the vendor. All testing is performed in a room maintained at about23±2° C. and about 50±5% relative humidity.

The spectrophotometer is configured for the XYZ color scale, D65illuminant, 10° standard observer, with UV filter set to nominal. Theinstrument is standardized according to the manufacturer's proceduresusing the 44.45 mm (1.750 inch) area view. After calibration, thesoftware is set to the Y opacity procedure which prompts the operator tocover the sample with either the white or black calibration tile duringthe measurement.

To obtain a specimen, lay the sample flat on a bench, body facingsurface downward, and 101.6 mm by 101.6 mm portions of sample are cutusing scissor for analysis. When the sample is a combined material, theyare overlayed to obtain a specimen. Samples are pre-conditioned at 23°C.±2° C.° and 50%±5% relative humidity for two hours prior to testing.

Place specimen over the measurement port. The specimen should completelycover the port with the surface corresponding to the garment-facingsurface of the article directed toward the port. Cover the specimen withthe white standard plate. Take a reading, then remove the white tile andreplace it with the black standard tile without moving the specimen.Obtain a second reading, and calculate the opacity as follows:

Opacity=(Y value_((black backing)) /Y value_((white backing)))×100

A total of three identical material, or materials combined, are analyzedand their opacity results recorded. Calculate and report the averageopacity to the nearest 0.1%.

Example 1

Samples A-F having the structure of the belt-type wearable article ofthe present invention of FIGS. 1-3, and having differences inconstructions of the outer cover layer 42, outer sheet 92 and innersheet 94, as in Table 1, were assembled. All samples are provided withthe same main artwork 150 as shown in FIG. 4 having a main artwork 150graphic overlapping the crotch area artwork 152 and belt area artwork154. The visual integrity of the main artwork 150 was observed by atrained expert panel and evaluated as such; “Bad”: the gap at theproximal edge is clearly observed; “Good”: the gap at the proximal edgeis difficult to observe. The results are shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 g/m² of outer g/m² of outer Visual Sample cover layer L1 andinner sheet L2 L3 Lg integrity A 17 20.1% 17 + 10 37.4% 50.0% 29.9% BadB 17 20.1% 17 + 17 36.4% 49.2% 29.1% Bad C 17 20.1% 17 + 25 51.6% 61.4%41.3% Bad D 25 45.4% 17 + 10 37.4% 65.9% 20.4% Good E 25 45.4% 17 + 1736.4% 65.3% 19.8% Good F 25 45.4% 17 + 25 51.6% 73.6% 28.2% Bad

Inventive Samples D and E of the present invention having an Lg of lessthan 28% provided improved visual integrity of the main artwork comparedto comparative samples A-C and F having an Lg of more than 28%.Inventive Samples D and E further provide perceived softness andquality.

Consumer Acceptance

Comparative Sample B and Inventive Sample E described in Example 1 weresubjected to a consumer test of 10 panelists. The panelists werecaregivers of Chinese Size 4 (L-size) wearers who regularly use Merriesor Huggies brand pant diaper products. The panelists were given bothComparative Sample B and Inventive Sample E and asked to choose whichproduct has a “graphic looking uniformly integrated”. The percentage ofchoices was statistically analyzed. Test results are shown below inTable 2.

TABLE 2 Comparative Sample B Inventive Sample E No preference 10% 80%(*) 10% (*) Statistically significant over others with 90% confidencelevel

According to the consumer acceptance test results, Inventive Sample E ofthe present invention, compared to Comparative Sample B, wasstatistically significantly better accepted in providing visualintegrity of the graphic.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood asbeing strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead,unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean boththe recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding thatvalue. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean“about 40 mm.”

Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or relatedpatent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation ofany document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect toany invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in anycombination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests ordiscloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning ordefinition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning ordefinition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, themeaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shallgovern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wearable article continuous in a longitudinaldirection and a transverse direction comprising: a main body comprisingan outer cover layer at the most garment-facing side and a backsheetattached to the skin-facing surface of the outer cover layer; and aring-like elastic belt comprising a front belt and a back belt; thecenter of the front belt is joined to a front waist panel of the mainbody, the center of the back belt is joined to a back waist panel of themain body, the front and back belt each having a left side panel and aright side panel where the main body does not overlap, and thetransverse edges of the front belt and the back belt are joined by aseam to form a waist opening and two leg openings, the main body havinga crotch panel which is not joined to either the front belt or the backbelt; each front belt and back belt having transversely continuousproximal and distal edges, the proximal edge being located closer thanthe distal edge relative to the longitudinal center of the article, eachof the front belt and back belt each comprise an inner sheet and anouter sheet, wherein the backsheet comprises printing for providing: amain artwork observable from the garment-facing side of the article, themain artwork existing in the vicinity of the proximal edge of thecentral panel of at least one of the front and back belts, the mainartwork extending from at least one of the front and back central panelsinto the crotch panel; the main artwork comprising a belt area artworkdisplayed on the central panel and a crotch area artwork displayed onthe crotch panel; wherein when the opacity of the outer cover layer isL1; the opacity of all of the materials in the central panel overlayedon the garment facing side of the backsheet is L3; L3−L1=Lg; and Lg isabout 28% or less.
 2. The article of claim 1, wherein Lg is less thanabout 25%.
 3. The article of claim 2, wherein Lg is less than about 22%.4. The article of claim 1, wherein the opacity of the outer sheet andinner sheet combined is L2, and L1 is greater than L2.
 5. The article ofclaim 1, wherein L1 is from about 30 to about 60%.
 6. The article ofclaim 5 wherein the outer cover layer is a nonwoven material comprisingpolymer resin comprising about 5% or less, titanium dioxide.
 7. Thearticle of claim 1, wherein the main artwork comprises the belt areaartwork and the crotch area artwork that are separable graphicalelements.
 8. The article claim 1, wherein the main artwork comprisingthe belt area artwork and the crotch area artwork overlaps the proximaledge.
 9. The article of claim 8, wherein the color brightness of thebelt area artwork is greater than the color brightness of the crotcharea artwork.
 10. The article of claim 8, wherein the main artwork isprovided in gradation of color brightness or color intensity in thelongitudinal direction.
 11. The article of claim 1, wherein the innerand outer sheets comprise a plurality of elastic strands sandwichedtherebetween and running in the transverse direction, the elasticity ofthe elastic strands being removed at areas where the belt area artworkis displayed.
 12. The article of claim 1, further comprising anabsorbent core.
 13. The article of claim 1, comprising both of a frontmain artwork and a back main artwork, each observable from thegarment-facing side of the article.
 14. The article of claim 1, whereinthe materials overlaying the garment facing side of the backsheetconsist essentially of the outer cover layer, an outer sheet, and aninner sheet.
 15. The article of claim 1, wherein the main artworkcomprises a wetness indicator.
 16. A process for manufacturing awearable article, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a wearablearticle continuous in a longitudinal direction and a transversedirection comprising: a main body comprising an outer cover layer at themost garment-facing side and a backsheet attached to the skin-facingsurface of the outer cover layer; and a ring-like elastic beltcomprising a front belt and a back belt; the center of the front belt isjoined to a front waist panel of the main body, the center of the backbelt is joined to a back waist panel of the main body, the front andback belt each having a left side panel and a right side panel where themain body does not overlap, and the transverse edges of the front beltand the back belt are joined by a seam to form a waist opening and twoleg openings, the main body having a crotch panel which is not joined toeither the front belt or the back belt; each front belt and back belthaving transversely continuous proximal and distal edges, the proximaledge being located closer than the distal edge relative to thelongitudinal center of the article, each of the front belt and back belteach comprise an inner sheet and an outer sheet; and (b) printing on thebacksheet, such that the backsheet comprises: a main artwork observablefrom the garment-facing side of the article, the main artwork existingin the vicinity of the proximal edge of the central panel of at leastone of the front and back belts, the main artwork extending from atleast one of the front and back central panels into the crotch panel;the main artwork comprising a belt area artwork displayed on the centralpanel and a crotch area artwork displayed on the crotch panel; whereinwhen the opacity of the outer cover layer is L1; the opacity of all ofthe materials in the central panel overlayed on the garment facing sideof the backsheet is L3; L3−L1=Lg; and Lg is about 28% or less.